Help!

TRN87 · September 24, 2009

Okay...so I have a 9cc band and I am at 6.5 cc's right now and DO NOT feel restriction! I can eat pretty much anything. For example here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: 1 Fiber One Bar

Snack: 1 fiber one bar

Lunch: lean cuisine

snack: 5 ritz crackers w/ low calorie cheese

dinner: lean cuisine and 2 pieces of low cal toast

snack: fiber one bar

Okay. I try to make good choices when I eat, but I did this before my surgery. I know that I ate a lot today but I try to eat the best things possible. Something just doesn't seem right. At 6.5 cc's I should be WAY more restricted than this right? I have a fill tomorrow and think I am going to talk to my doctor.

kiz · September 24, 2009

It wasn't until I had over 9cc in my Realize band to get to my sweet spot. My doctor gave me a pressure fill (to measure the pressure wasn't too high), and that was the fill the got me to my sweet spot. In fact, that last fill was only .5cc, but it made all the difference.

TRN87 · September 24, 2009

How many cc's are in your band now and how many does your band hold? What is a pressure fill?

Thanks for responding!!! =)

Petunia825 · September 24, 2009

Oh my gosh please don't tell me this....I had my first fill last Thursday and don't have any restriction either. What's worse is that I have been eating ALOT! Not junk food but lots of good stuff. I had 3 ccs put in my 9 cc Realize band. This is so disappointing.:thumbdown:

kiz · September 24, 2009

A pressure fill is only offered to Realize Band patients by my doctor. I'm not sure if that's the case with all doctors. He did it in conjunction with fluoro so he could also see how quickly the barium went through. He had a gauge on a IV pole that he connected to the needle as he was checking my fill level. He said it was high (maybe in the low 40s, but I didn't ask what that meant exactly). He said he also had a few other patients didn't get good restriction until that level.

I kept a careful list of all my fill amounts until I got over 9cc, and then I started freaking out a bit and stopped. I was convinced I had a leak or some other major issue, because not only did my restriction wane after each fill in just a few weeks, I could tolerate any kind of food, and I could easily eat up to and even more than a cup of food. (My doctor shoots for 1/2 cup meals).

I know some Fluid stays in the tubing, but that still doesn't account for why I need so much fill for restriction. I can now eat 1/2 cup meals and stay satisfied for four hours, and sometimes longer. I don't pb, slime or have reflux, and I can still eat most every food (even those that some call non-band friendly foods), so I just think I'm sort of an anomaly.

kiz · September 24, 2009

Oh my gosh please don't tell me this....I had my first fill last Thursday and don't have any restriction either. What's worse is that I have been eating ALOT! Not junk food but lots of good stuff. I had 3 ccs put in my 9 cc Realize band. This is so disappointing.:thumbdown:

Don't worry. There are plenty of people, most in fact, that reach good restriction before they reach 9cc in their band. However, if you don't get there right away, it will happen. My doctor kept telling me not to worry, and as it turns out, he was right. :thumbup:

TRN87 · September 24, 2009

A pressure fill is only offered to Realize Band patients by my doctor. I'm not sure if that's the case with all doctors. He did it in conjunction with fluoro so he could also see how quickly the barium went through. He had a gauge on a IV pole that he connected to the needle as he was checking my fill level. He said it was high (maybe in the low 40s, but I didn't ask what that meant exactly). He said he also had a few other patients didn't get good restriction until that level.
I kept a careful list of all my fill amounts until I got over 9cc, and then I started freaking out a bit and stopped. I was convinced I had a leak or some other major issue, because not only did my restriction wane after each fill in just a few weeks, I could tolerate any kind of food, and I could easily eat up to and even more than a cup of food. (My doctor shoots for 1/2 cup meals).

I know some Fluid stays in the tubing, but that still doesn't account for why I need so much fill for restriction. I can now eat 1/2 cup meals and stay satisfied for four hours, and sometimes longer. I don't pb, slime or have reflux, and I can still eat most every food (even those that some call non-band friendly foods), so I just think I'm sort of an anomaly.

Sorry Petunia---dont be discouraged! You will find your spot...and so will I. It just is easier for others...hopefully yours will be easy!!

Well.. I do have a Realize Band. I will mention it to my doctor tomorrow...I have a fill. Exactly how many cc's are in the Realize...I thought it was only 9?

kiz · September 24, 2009

Well.. I do have a Realize Band. I will mention it to my doctor tomorrow...I have a fill. Exactly how many cc's are in the Realize...I thought it was only 9?

It's a 9cc band, but Fluid can be in the tubing. I just happen to be somebody that needed more than what the stated max amount is to get restriction. If I had to guess how much is in my band, I think it's around 11cc. For my sanity, I stopped counting each fill, because I was so sure I was never going to get good restriction that had staying power.